Alice looked out of the rainy window that was fogging up from the cold. She stuck her hand on it and stared at the surrounding scenery that was getting soaked from the downpour. "Wet, rain to heal, and to fix, wiping out the chaos and hell." Sirius stared at her with a cautious look at someone who has lost their nerves, and as someone who doesn't know what to do about it or how to help. She looked back at him with a distant, sad, and resigned look that seemed to say I'm not broken, I'm fine.

'I'm sorry." He said, and looked away and out the window

"It's not your fault, you have nothing to be sorry about, don't be." She said, continuing to look out the window. He looked away at the compartment door and then back at her. "Hell you're the only one who doesn't do that most of the time."

"Do what?" he asked. She paused for a moment. "Do what Alice?"

"Treat me like I'm broken. Everyone else just sees broken and mad and feels sad about it sometimes when it happens. But you don't. Madness and detachment is nothing new to you though is it?"

"No it isn't but it's not exactly to you either now?" he asked sitting up straighter and studying her.

"No but, I hate feeling like ….. oh hell I don't know."

"Like everything has changed, but everyone has stayed the same and that you're all you have left now."

"Yes"

"Well you do have people left, you know that right?"

"Please don't play my brother for me, I get enough of that."

"He just worries about you."

"Maybe he should stop."

"He can't help it he's your brother."

"Do you ever feel that way about Regulus?"

Sirius stopped talking and drifted away for a moment remembering. Then he turned towards her and smiled a smile that left a taste of remorse to it "All of the time."

"He still looks up to you and cares about you and stuff. He just can't say it out loud you know?"

"I hadn't the faintest idea, thank you."

"Don't lie, it's not very nice."

"What do you want Alice?"

I want you to fix me. I want you to make me all better again and not remember what happened. I don't want to relive them crucio-ing me almost to the point of madness. I don't want to remember what it felt like, or hearing their voices laughing. Truth be told I don't want to feel anything anymore. But would you help me to do that? I don't want to keep wishing that they'd have finished me off because I can't stand the look on my mom and dad's faces, or Remus' face, or anybodies. I just want it to stop. Help me. "To get to Hogwarts already. I'm sick of this train."

"Oh" he said. Don't you think I can recognize a lie like that when I see one. Well, I'll be waiting, when you're ready. He folded his legs on the unoccupied bench next to her and leaned back in his seat, staring at the little drip drops of rain and following them along their path.